Marios
Maintaining a tradition of providing years of customer service in an ever-evolving market.
ROLE
Brand Director
RESPONSIBILITIES
Brand Strategy, Photo Art Direction, Design
TOOLS
Adobe CC, Keynote
“With a clear understanding of Marios mission, culture and passion for impeccable service, Sarina quickly proved she’s the best kind of leader, one who really ‘gets it’. Sarina immersed herself in the Marios world, connecting with our Style Experts, support team, even our customers, to learn the business from the inside out. Her brand understanding was evident in the body of great work she created.
— MARIO BISIO, Founder & President of Marios
Overview
Marios is a luxury retailer in the Pacific Northwest that features the finest collection of designer and contemporary apparel, shoes, and accessories. Throughout 60 years in the luxury fashion business, Mario Bisio has made several calculated decisions that have propelled the brand forward. Under his leadership, he has established the 3-store chain as one of the leading luxury retailers in the Pacific Northwest region. With over 100 employees, Marios continues to provide a unique, high-touch experience for its loyal customers.
The Situation
With the challenges of an ever-changing market and aging customer base, 2012-13 sales hit a plateau. Forging ahead, Mario continued to set goals for the company. For 2014-15, the goal was to increase sales by 10% as well as expand the contemporary, women, and jewelry departments. This endeavor required attracting upscale, highly coveted vendors, a new marketing and event strategy, and building new customer lists. The buying teams needed to enter the market with a fresh look and a compelling story.
Discovery
I started by conducting employee interviews and small group meetings with Mario and key stakeholders. We discussed challenges and successes in customer experiences, brand perception, merchandising strategies, vendor partnerships, and marketing tactics. As a result, I uncovered the core pillars — PNW Lifestyle, Fashion Experts, Customer Experience, and Human Relationships. The pillars served as a guide for blog posts, social content, and seasonal themes.
The goal for Marios was to heighten brand awareness, gain popularity and deepen brand esteem. I led the marketing team in developing a strategy outlining how we were to emotionally connect with our audience. Together we created a content framework for cohesive seasonal campaigns through various touchpoints.
Design
With a defined strategy, I designed and art directed key marketing tools.
Website Redesign + Blog Platform
Social & E-marketing Content Strategy
Templated Design System for Collateral, In-Store Signage
Bi-Annual Seasonal Apparel Publication
SOCIAL & E-MARKETING RESULTS
CFDA Award winner, The Row, shared Marios Fall ‘14 and Fall ‘15 images which together gained 6,900+ Instagram likes and more than 85 comments.
Newsletter e-mail subscribers increased by 22%.